Effect of Boron Nitride Nanosheets on Properties of a Commercial Epoxy Molding Compound Used in Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging

In this article, the effect of incorporating boron nitride nanosheets (represented as BNNSs in this article) in a commercial epoxy molding compound (EMC) that has been used in the fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) is investigated. The BNNSs were produced by exfoliating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) in water and were incorporated in EMC without any surface modification. BNNS-reinforced EMCs were prepared by adding various concentrations of BNNSs in the pristine EMC, followed by thermal curing. The characterization of nanocomposite samples implies that the epoxy-hardener reaction is not significantly affected by the presence of BNNSs. Surprisingly, EMCs containing low concentrations of BNNSs showed better thermal stability and thermomechanical properties when compared to the pristine EMC. Meanwhile, a sample with the highest concentration of BNNSs performed poorly, which could be due to the BNNS agglomeration and filler/polymer phase separation. This method is a simple and inexpensive way to alter the mechanical properties of commercial EMCs. The tunability of material properties is foreseen to broaden the materials of choice for FOWLP, support product customization, and tackle the warpage issue in FOWLP from the material engineering perspective.